Thoughts from a Yellow Dog Democrat living in Olympia, in the great BLUE state of Washington

I am a liberal because it is the political philosophy of freedom and equality. And I am a progressive because it is the political path to a better future. And I am a Democrat because it is the political party that believes in freedom, equality and progress.
-- Digby

Monday, January 01, 2007

The Case for Al Gore

2006 is over and in 2007, political discourse is going to be dominated by discussion about the candidates for president. What has become clear to me is that Gore would be a great president. Nevertheless, many folks would love to see a Gore presidential campaign. Ever since he was 'defeated' by George W. Bush in 2000, the vice president has become a progressive in the best sense of the word. He was one of the first to speak out against pre-emptive military action in Iraq, and he's spoken out similarly against wiretapping and the Patriot Act. And, of course, we are all familiar with his work on global warming. But more than that, Al Gore is uniquely positioned to unite all of us.

Greens

In June 2006 Dana Milbank reported in his column that Nader said at a book signing for An Inconvenient Truth, "He's (Gore) defining what progressive Democrats should be about."

Zogby in their 2006 post-election survey, said that a solid majority (58%) of voters agreed their elected officials “should make combating global warming a high priority.” Three-quarters (75%) of Americans who voted in the mid-term elections say the “U.S. Congress should pass legislation promoting renewable and alternative energy sources as an effective way to reduce global warming pollution.”

A deeper analysis of the survey revealed:

Global warming concerns were strongest among Hispanic voters, with 62 percentsaying global warming was important in their voting. Overall, the post-electionsurvey showed that fewer Hispanic voters voted for Republicans in 2006 thanvoted for George Bush in 2004.

Concerns about global warming were alsostronger among younger voters (those under 30) than older generations, with 58percent of youth saying a candidate’s position on global warming was importantto their vote. A strong youth turnout in this election, with 61 percent ofvoters aged 18-29 voting Democratic, also contributed to Democratic gains.Turnouts of under-30 voters increased by 2 million voters compared to the 2002mid-term elections.

Democrats and Progressives

If you need a refresher on Al Gore’s record and positions, chick here. When I reviewed the list to prepare this article, I was struck how we have wasted the last 6 years ignoring things like healthcare, diplomacy, safe drinking water, cleaning up toxic waste sites, lead poisoning reduction, life long learning, urban revival, rural empowerment, more Pell grants, HOPE scholarships, and on and on.

Although he doesn’t address it in this old website cited above, I think we can count on Al Gore to lead the way for verifiable paper trails in our voting booth based on his 2000 experiences.

"I am not planning to run for president again," Gore said last week, arguingthat his focus is raising public awareness about global warming and its direeffects. Then, he added: "I haven't completely ruled it out."

If Hillary’s divisiveness and continued support for the Iraq war bother you. . . If you are nervous about Obama’s level of experience. . . If you love Kucinich but just can’t see how he can win. . . Please consider joining me in the Draft Al Gore movement. It’s as easy as first starting with signing a petition to make sure Al Gore knows we want him to run. You can sign the petition here: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/algore2008/